The Journey
by CaballoCah-BYE-oh
Summary: This is an edited version of the original. anyway, a Baby Legendary shows up, and I get to train it! However, while going thru my paces, I discover how the Baby came to be at all...
1. Default Chapter

Hello, it's me, the writer! Yeah, I'm back again. This is the edited (and better named) story about my journey through the Pokemon World, namely Johto. However, for a little fun, I added a new Pokemon! Well, actually, three, MAYBE five to seven, but I don't know yet! Well, enjoy! (And no, I DON'T own Pokemon. I only own the comp this story was written on and all the obviously un-Pokemon characters!) Btw, I don't know what's wrong, when I saved the story in Word, it looks like it should, with paragraphs and everything. I'm trying to fix it! Just bear with me for a while, I may need to totally retype it in notepad, but I hope not!  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Hello . Baby?  
  
I ran up the walkway to Professor Elm's lab. He was just opening the door when I arrived at the top step. "Hello, Professor," I panted, "You wanted to see me?" "Why, yes, Nicole, I did! Please come in," he said as he stepped out of the way for me. "Oh, and, uh, please catch your breath while you do. You'll need it for this!" As Prof. Elm lead me into the main room of his lab, an assistant came running out of the observatory room. "Professor! Professor!" Elm looked up in surprise. "Yes, Kory, what is it?" "Professor, its happened! The Pokeball has opened!!" "Well," gasped Elm, "what's inside the thing?" "That's just it, Prof., I don't know! I've never seen anything like it before!" "Let's go have a look then!" shouted Elm as he dashed off towards the observatory. I, apparently forgotten for the moment, was not far behind. The already winded Kory followed soon after. Inside, sitting on the center table, was a strangely shaped Pokeball. But it was obviously a Pokeball, as it was round in shape, open, and a Pokemon was sitting beside it. But this Pokemon was very unusual. It appeared to be a smaller version of a Legendary Pokemon; Suicune, to be exact. Everyone stopped as they entered the room, and the Pokemon looked up. "Kan?" "Oh. it seems to be a Baby Pokemon of some sort. but from what?" Elm mused. While he and Kory were caught up in their speculations, I'd noticed something about it. It seemed to be somewhat lost, and looked as though it needed assurance. This was, after all, a strange new place. Without thinking twice, I slowly walked over to it, so as not to scare it, and kneeled down to look it in the eye. Elm and Kory watched my approach carefully, ready to jump in if I was attacked. But the cute little Pokemon did nothing but look at me. like as if it needed something that only I could give it. "What do you think its name is, Professor?" I asked quietly. I was so enamored by this sweet little Pokemon's dark blue eyes that I almost didn't hear him reply. "Well, uh, I don't know," replied Elm, a little confused. "I've never seen one either. It does look a lot like a certain Legendary, though..." He paused, then went into another room and came back a moment later with a Pokedex, like what trainers use to identify Pokemon in the wild. But this one seemed different. When Prof. Elm pointed it at the Pokemon, it started naming off Pokemon, starting with what it seemed to match closest characteristically. The second one named was Suicune, and at that name it flinched. "Kan!" It jumped at me, and I caught it with out even thinking. "Put that thing away, Professor, you're scaring it!" I snapped at him, angry that this precious Pokemon was being treated like a culture slide. Elm, quite surprised at my assault, stepped back and said, "All right, Nicole, I was just trying to figure out what it could possibly be." "Well, why don't you just ask it!" I snapped back. With that, I turned to the Pokemon, now very comfortable in my arms, and said, "Say, what kind of Pokemon are you, anyway?" It looked straight in my eyes and replied, "Kanaun!" Then it went back to nuzzling me. Elm blinked. "Kanaun? Hmm." Kory's eyes went wide, and he ran out. Elm and I followed him. We found him in his room staring at a picture in what looked like a fairy tale book. He looked up at the Kanaun and back down at the picture. I looked over his shoulder and read the caption out loud. "Suicune, the legendary water-dog, has been seen with a smaller version of itself. Legend says that the two are somehow related. In one account, two Suicune were spotted with one of these unknown Pokemon, and they seemed to be." I gasped as I read the last two words. "...It's parents!" "You mean that this Pokemon IS a baby Pokemon? A SUICUNE baby?!" shouted Elm, dancing up and down in excitement. Then he stopped abruptly. "Wait! There's supposed to be only one Suicune in the whole world! How could there possibly be a baby Suicune?" 


	2. The Rivalry Begins

Chapter Two: The Rivalry Begins  
  
As Professor Elm, Kory and I sat there staring at each other and this newfound Kanaun, who would walk in but Paul Somme. Paul Somme, yes, that's a name I dislike. around 5 foot 3 with spiky tan hair and an attitude to match, Paul liked nothing more than training his father's Pokemon. I used to watch him do it, but as I grew older and learned more and more about Pokemon, I found his training style distasteful, like it wasn't the Pokemon, but it's level that mattered. He would battle his father's cast offs until they were strong enough to defeat the toughest opponent, and that included his dad's Charizard. "I thought I heard." Paul's eyes grew wide as they fell on the Kanaun, and he burst out with, "That's my starter Pokemon!" I jumped to my feet. There was NO way Paul was getting his hands on the poor thing! "Sorry, Paul, but it's already taken!" Poor Elm and Kory didn't even know what was going on yet. "Um, uh, well, Paul, that isn't a starter Pokemon, anyway, and uh." Elm trailed off as Paul crossed to me. "I don't care, Professor, you just gotta let me train this one!" He stared deeply into the Kanaun's eyes, and it grew continually wary. "Sorry, Paul, but as I said before, I'M starting with it!" I jutted out my chin in a fashion that normally told any opponent they weren't going to win, but Paul just kept on coming. "Sorry to disappoint you, Nicole, but you haven't applied to become a trainer yet. And besides, your dad would never let you start a journey." Now, I had to admit that he had a point there. Dad wouldn't let me out of his sight with a Pokemon of my own, and there was no way I was going to let him tag along. So, I thought to myself, I just won't tell him. "Yeah, well, my mom will! And besides, Elm said she wasn't a starter anyway!" I stuck my tongue out at Paul, and to my delight Kanaun followed suit. With out warning, Kanaun jumped out of my arms and climbed onto my shoulders. From that perch, she started surveying the room and its occupants, then, apparently satisfied with her choice for a trainer, curled up around my neck and closed her eyes. I giggled, which brought an immediate response from Paul: One of total disgust. "Nicole," stated an amused Professor Elm, "perhaps we should go about what you are here for. Oh and Paul," Elm turned to the cocky boy, "you may come along and choose a beginner Pokemon. We have a new choice." Paul's face lit up as he eyed Kanaun, but his hopes were dashed when Elm added, "And no, it's not the one you think." "Then what kind of Pokemon is the new choice, Professor?" asked Paul. I didn't exactly like the glint in his eye, and hoped Elm wouldn't let him choose the poor thing. "Well, we have the three usual ones, Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile, and we also have a special one here." Elm held a brown and white Pokeball. He tapped the small dot in the center to release the Pokemon it held. What should appear but. "Wow! A Tyrogue!" Paul was beside himself. "I've always wanted to train one of those!" He grabbed the Pokemon, who, having never met Paul before, let out a happy "Ty!" Both Kanaun and I were amazed that Paul had it so totally fooled as to his personality. "I want this one!" Paul shouted. Then he looked back at Kanaun, and it immediately started to squirm on my shoulders. "That is," he continued, "if I can't have that one." "You most certainly may not!" I huffed. Elm nodded his head and added, "It seems this Kanaun has decided who will keep it. Nicole, will you train it for me? And tell me if anything happens, like it evolving?" I couldn't believe my ears! "Of course I will! Thank you, Professor Elm!" Elm chuckled and murmured, "Don't thank me, thank Kanaun!" He turned to Paul and led him off to give him the things he'd need to be a Pokemon trainer. I sat down and played with a very happy Kanaun. I had just decided on a name for it when Elm came back in. "Well, Nicole, I have some business for you to help me with." I looked up in surprise. "You mean besides taking care of Kanaun?" Elm chuckled a bit. "Actually, Kanaun here was an afterthought. I would like you to retrieve something special for me, Nicole. And seeing as you have a Pokemon, you probably won't be needing another." "Um, Elm," cut in Kory, "don't you think we should see if it even has any attacks? I mean, it wouldn't do to leave Nicole stranded with a Pokemon that can't fight." "Hmm, yes, good point Kory." Elm led us outside to a Pokemon battlefield. "Kory, will you use that colored Caterpie you caught the other day? It didn't seem to be too high of a level." Kory smiled as he brought out a Pokeball, which I swiftly identified as a Friend Ball. I had heard that it makes Pokemon like you better when you catch them. "Sure, Professor, I'd be happy to!" Kanaun jumped down from my arms as Kory let the Caterpie out. She suddenly grew serious as her foe materialized. The battle was on! 


	3. Battle!

Chapter Two: The Rivalry Begins  
  
As Professor Elm, Kory and I sat there staring at each other and this newfound Kanaun, who would walk in but Paul Somme. Paul Somme, yes, that's a name I dislike. around 5 foot 3 with spiky tan hair and an attitude to match, Paul liked nothing more than training his father's Pokemon. I used to watch him do it, but as I grew older and learned more and more about Pokemon, I found his training style distasteful, like it wasn't the Pokemon, but it's level that mattered. He would battle his father's cast offs until they were strong enough to defeat the toughest opponent, and that included his dad's Charizard. "I thought I heard." Paul's eyes grew wide as they fell on the Kanaun, and he burst out with, "That's my starter Pokemon!" I jumped to my feet. There was NO way Paul was getting his hands on the poor thing! "Sorry, Paul, but it's already taken!" Poor Elm and Kory didn't even know what was going on yet. "Um, uh, well, Paul, that isn't a starter Pokemon, anyway, and uh." Elm trailed off as Paul crossed to me. "I don't care, Professor, you just gotta let me train this one!" He stared deeply into the Kanaun's eyes, and it grew continually wary. "Sorry, Paul, but as I said before, I'M starting with it!" I jutted out my chin in a fashion that normally told any opponent they weren't going to win, but Paul just kept on coming. "Sorry to disappoint you, Nicole, but you haven't applied to become a trainer yet. And besides, your dad would never let you start a journey." Now, I had to admit that he had a point there. Dad wouldn't let me out of his sight with a Pokemon of my own, and there was no way I was going to let him tag along. So, I thought to myself, I just won't tell him. "Yeah, well, my mom will! And besides, Elm said she wasn't a starter anyway!" I stuck my tongue out at Paul, and to my delight Kanaun followed suit. With out warning, Kanaun jumped out of my arms and climbed onto my shoulders. From that perch, she started surveying the room and its occupants, then, apparently satisfied with her choice for a trainer, curled up around my neck and closed her eyes. I giggled, which brought an immediate response from Paul: One of total disgust. "Nicole," stated an amused Professor Elm, "perhaps we should go about what you are here for. Oh and Paul," Elm turned to the cocky boy, "you may come along and choose a beginner Pokemon. We have a new choice." Paul's face lit up as he eyed Kanaun, but his hopes were dashed when Elm added, "And no, it's not the one you think." "Then what kind of Pokemon is the new choice, Professor?" asked Paul. I didn't exactly like the glint in his eye, and hoped Elm wouldn't let him choose the poor thing. "Well, we have the three usual ones, Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile, and we also have a special one here." Elm held a brown and white Pokeball. He tapped the small dot in the center to release the Pokemon it held. What should appear but. "Wow! A Tyrogue!" Paul was beside himself. "I've always wanted to train one of those!" He grabbed the Pokemon, who, having never met Paul before, let out a happy "Ty!" Both Kanaun and I were amazed that Paul had it so totally fooled as to his personality. "I want this one!" Paul shouted. Then he looked back at Kanaun, and it immediately started to squirm on my shoulders. "That is," he continued, "if I can't have that one." "You most certainly may not!" I huffed. Elm nodded his head and added, "It seems this Kanaun has decided who will keep it. Nicole, will you train it for me? And tell me if anything happens, like it evolving?" I couldn't believe my ears! "Of course I will! Thank you, Professor Elm!" Elm chuckled and murmured, "Don't thank me, thank Kanaun!" He turned to Paul and led him off to give him the things he'd need to be a Pokemon trainer. I sat down and played with a very happy Kanaun. I had just decided on a name for it when Elm came back in. "Well, Nicole, I have some business for you to help me with." I looked up in surprise. "You mean besides taking care of Kanaun?" Elm chuckled a bit. "Actually, Kanaun here was an afterthought. I would like you to retrieve something special for me, Nicole. And seeing as you have a Pokemon, you probably won't be needing another." "Um, Elm," cut in Kory, "don't you think we should see if it even has any attacks? I mean, it wouldn't do to leave Nicole stranded with a Pokemon that can't fight." "Hmm, yes, good point Kory." Elm led us outside to a Pokemon battlefield. "Kory, will you use that colored Caterpie you caught the other day? It didn't seem to be too high of a level." Kory smiled as he brought out a Pokeball, which I swiftly identified as a Friend Ball. I had heard that it makes Pokemon like you better when you catch them. "Sure, Professor, I'd be happy to!" Kanaun jumped down from my arms as Kory let the Caterpie out. She suddenly grew serious as her foe materialized. The battle was on! 


	4. The Good News, And The Bad News

Chapter Four: The Good News, and The Bad News  
  
I rushed home after collecting my Pokedex, Pokeballs, Potions and Berries. I sneaked past dad on the way to my room. I saw he was on the VidPhone with someone, so I assumed that it was Elm trying to convince my dad to let me go. I reached my room in record time, and started throwing whatever I thought I'd need into a suitcase. I was thinking only of Kanna, the Elite Four, and what Elm had said. When I got to putting my gear into the case, I stopped to look at the odd Pokeball again. While I was staring at it, wondering who had made it, Kanna popped out of her Pokeball. "Kan!" She came over to me and jumped up on my bed. She looked at me strangely, then noticed the Pokeball in my hand. "Kan! Aun kan!" She ran around behind my back, wanting to be protected from the object, but not trusting anything in the room but me to do it. "Woah! Calm down, Kanna! Believe me, I'm not going to put you in that thing again!" I stared at it. "Who knows what it'll do to you." Good! "Huh? Who said that?" I stood up and looked out the window; almost sure that it was my friends playing a joke on me. But no one was in sight. Shaken, I sat back down on my bed. A fleeting thought shot through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it as having watched too many adventure movies in the past week for my own good. I continued to pack, but kept the Pokeball out on my desk. I was more than a little apprehensive when it came to keeping it in my sight. Who knows what powers it had?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"NICOLE SINT! GET DOWN HERE!" "Uh, oh." "I MEAN NOW!!" From that alone, I came to the conclusion that my dad had found out about my trip. And he wasn't happy. As I came downstairs, Kanna followed me despite my warnings. She had never seen my father on the warpath, where as I had made a living getting him there. I came into the dining room and Dad motioned to me to sit down. To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. (He was more like furious.) "Nicole, I understand you have a Pokemon now." "Yep. She's a baby Suicune, as far as anyone can tell." Kanna jumped up onto my lap and started working my dad over. She was doing a very good impression of a cute little helpless puppy, and I could see dad melting in her, uh, paws. "Isn't she so sweet?" I added, hoping to help Kanna in her work. "Elm says that she's chosen me to be her trainer, and he thinks I could go far with her help. Even to the Pokemon League!" Nothing. If anything I'd made it worse by assuming he'd let me grow up to my chronological age. "Nicole, I trust you. Its everyone else that-" "That you don't trust, I know." I sighed. "Dad, I can handle myself now, and with Kanna I can be a real trainer! Elm said he thought I might make it to the Elite Four! No one has ever made it past the first two!" Dad raised an eyebrow. "I know. Elm called me while you were walking home. He seemed to be determined to get you permission to go, so I gave it to him." My eyes grew wide when I heard that. "Really? Thanks Dad!" I jumped up, ready to go, but Dad held up a hand. I sat back down, fearing the worst. "Elm told me about this errand he wants you to do for him, and I agreed. I'm withholding my judgment on your journey until you get back." He looked at the Pokeballs I had on the belt around my waist. "So no using those, ok kiddo?" With the look that Dad gave me, I knew that to complain was to commit Trainer suicide. So I kept my mouth shut and nodded. Kanna seemed disappointed that her charms didn't work as well as she had expected, and so jumped down from my lap. I went up to get my stuff from my room. Dad called after me, "And you might want to rethink using that suitcase! A backpack will do better!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
As I left New Bark Town, I read the map that Professor Elm had given to me. He had clearly marked the way to Mr. Pokemon's house. It actually wasn't that far away from Cherrygrove City, which was about half a day's walk from New Bark. Since my dad hadn't given me permission for a journey yet, he had me take his bike to get there faster. It should take me the rest of the day if all went well. I reached Cherrygrove City without much happening. I was going too fast for any of the wild Pokemon to catch up and fight me. I stopped off at the Pokemon Center anyway for a drink and a checkup for Kanna. Nurse Joy gave Kanna a close look and (of course) asked me if Professor Elm knew about her. "Of course," I replied. "Elm gave her to me, so he'd better know about her, huh?" After a quick snack, Kanna and I set off for Mr. Pokemon's house up North. Kanna decided to sit behind me on the parcel rack, though she was far from a parcel. We made good time and were there in about a half an hour. As I propped the bike up, Kanna got off and ran over to the man who stepped out of the house. This, naturally, was Mr. Pokemon himself. He looked like a magician that had turned in his top hat for a smaller version. It was really pretty funny how his face changed so quickly from a welcome smile to a "what the?" look. I explained to him about Kanna, and he smiled and nodded all the while. He seemed almost like as if you could knock him over with your pinkie finger, but then you really looked at him and decided no, you couldn't. It was pretty confusing. "Hmm. This is very interesting, so I'll be sure to call Elm about it. But as I recall, you came here for this." Mr. Pokemon handed a small stone to me. It resembled an evolutionary stone, but it was unlike any I'd seen before. I mentally checked them off; Water, Fire, Thunder, Grass, Moon, and Sun. And Everstone, but that kept a Pokemon from evolving, so it didn't really count. This looked like a crystal shard, and was cool to the touch. It was cloudy, like a blizzard was raging inside. As I examined it, Mr. Pokemon told its history. Apparently, it had been discovered in the mountains on the Blackthorn side of the Ice Path. Buried under a bunch of rocks, a paleontologist had uncovered it. Knowing that Mr. Pokemon was an expert on new and unusual things, he had sent it to him by way of the Pidgey Express. Mr. Pokemon had received it the day before and immediately called Professor Elm about it. "I'm currently trying to find out if there are more of these somewhere in the area. But, for now, this is the only one. "So, you see, it's quite important that this gets back to Professor Elm safely. Don't loose it, all right?" "Ok." I figured that the safest place would be where I was currently keeping my.oh. No, that wouldn't work. I was trying to keep the Pokeball separate from everything else. Well, that left my fannypack. It would definitely be safe there! Kanna and I waved goodbye and started back towards Cherrygrove. Halfway there, I got a call from Elm on my PokeGear. "Nicole? I just got a call from Officer Jenny in Cherrygrove. An upstart Pokemon thief group is copying Team Rocket's past crimes. Be careful, ok?" "All right Elm. Should I stay at the Pokemon Center in Cherrygrove overnight?" "You better take that up with your father. Be sure to call him right when you arrive at the Center, all right?" "Sure Elm, I will. Promise." And with that I hung up. When I looked up, I was confronted by two figures. They didn't seem to have a uniform, so I dismissed Team Rocket. However, that still left the new group. "Hand over that Pokemon, little girl!" 


	5. The New Kids In Town

Chapter Five: The New Kids In Town  
  
"Who in the world do you two think you are? Team Rocket?" The girl who had spoken laughed. "No way are we connected with THOSE losers! We're freelancers, but you can tell the authorities that you were robbed by The Beedrill Brigade!" (Try saying THAT five times fast!) I couldn't believe my ears. "The Beedrill Brigade? O-k, then." I looked at Kanna, who shrugged. She didn't buy it either. "So, you think you're going to rob me, is that it?" The other woman, who had long blonde hair, giggled. "Wow, um, like, I don't think she believes us!" The red head sighed. "You DON'T think, Vanati." "Ha ha, very funny!" I saw my chance. While they argued, I quietly walked my bike a few feet past them, then got on. Just then, Vanati saw me. "And you think I'M ditzy! She's getting away!" "And taking that rare Pokemon with her!" shouted the other girl back. "C'mon, lets get her!" "Uh, oh! Hang on Kanna!" I pedaled as hard as I could. A fork was coming up, but I knew it wouldn't matter which way I went. I took the left side and hid off in the bushes. A moment later I saw the two girls follow behind, also on bikes, but they took the right fork. Kanna and I breathed a sigh of relief. It took us a few more minutes to get to where the roads met up again, and when we did, we both wished we hadn't. "Ha! Thought you'd lost us, huh? Well, we just took the shorter path to be sure to beat you here!" Vanati looked at the girl in confusion. "We did?" The girl looked ready to crack. "Of course we did! I was leading, remember?" "Oh, yeah!" Vanati smiled at her adoringly. "You're just so smart, Ellen!" Ellen smiled. "Of course. That's why I lead." I sighed. I knew at least ONE person who had THAT big of an ego. I was used to it. Ellen looked up at me. "We challenge you to a Pokemon Battle! But this one has a little more on the line - your Pokemon!" There was no way those two bozos were getting Kanna! "I only have one! You have at least two between the both of you, so it's not a fair fight!" "Who said we fight fair?" asked Ellen. "Life sure doesn't. You might as well get used to it!" They brought out a Pokeball each. "Lets get started!" "Hold it!" Everyone turned to the new girl. She was blonde and thin, but looked to be in good shape, and was holding a Friend Ball. She looked at me. "So you were gonna hog all the fun!" I noticed she said it with a wink. This, however, was totally lost on the "Beedrill Brigade." "Well, if you don't mind loosing your Pokemon either, then feel free." "Fine. Go, Furret!" Out of the Friend Ball popped a Furret, its coat shiny and long. I turned back to the two Pokemon thieves. "You too, Kanna!" And so our second fight began.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kanna and I were pitted against the leader, Ellen. The new girl and her Furret took on Vanessa. Ellen had a Beedrill (big surprise), and Vanessa had a Butterfree. They looked like they had just evolved, too. "Furret, Quick Attack!" "Counter with a Harden!" Butterfree gave its trainer a funny look, but did as asked. The Quick Attack did little. "Ok, Kanna, use a Headbutt!" "Fury Attack, Beedrill!" Beedrill let loose a barrage of attacks, but Kanna dodged every one and Headbutted the Beedrill into a tree. It looked beat. Ellen growled. "Get up! We can't loose!" The Beedrill slowly rose up into a fighting position. "Good! Now use a Poison Sting!" Direct hit! Kanna went down, and it seemed that a few stingers had made it into Kanna skin, and poisoned it. But Kanna got up, and without my order, let a Bubblebeam. It was enough to KO the Beedrill. Ellen was shocked. "No way! No Pokemon learns Bubblebeam this early!" She recalled Beedrill, but smiled evilly. "But I'm not through with you yet! I have another Pokemon, and it should be super-effective against yours!" Now what? "Sunkurn!" Uh oh! A Grass type! No wonder she was so smug! "Your Pokemon looks beat. Let me take over for you!" That girl again! I wonder who she is? Ellen smiled. "Fine. I'll beat you, too!" "Furret, you know what to do! Use Tackle!" Ellen laughed again. "That won't stop a Mega Drain!" But Furret was quick on its feet, and dodged the Mega Drain easily. Unfortunately for Sunkurn, it didn't HAVE feet. "Great job! Now finish it off with a Quick Attack!" That ended it. Sunkurn went down with hardly a fight. Ellen recalled Sunkurn, and drooped. "Our first try, and we failed miserably." The new girl stretched out a hand, palm up. "Lets have it." Vanessa and, for once, Ellen looked mystified. "Have what?" asked Vanessa. "Your Pokemon, of course," The girl stated matter-of-factly. "We were battling for control of Pokemon, so when you entered the fight, you put your Pokemon on the line." She stretched her hand out farther. "And now we want our new Pokemon." They both stepped back. "But that's thievery! You can't do that!" She smiled. "You were going to." "So?" shrieked Ellen. "You can't have them!" And with that, they both ran off into the woods. The girl turned to me. "So, I guess we'd better introduce ourselves." "Later," said, picking up Kanna. "Kanna's hurt, and needs to get to a Pokemon Center fast." She went pale. "Of course. I don't have a bike, so I'll follow at my own pace. Meet you there?" I smiled at my newest friend. "Sure." Kanna was in the back room when the girl came in. We introduced ourselves, and I found out her name was Allie. She said she was a cousin of Whitney, the Gym Leader for Goldenrod City, and she had gotten her Furret as a Sentret from Whitney herself. It just made sense to have a Normal type. I told her my story of how I got Kanna, and my theories as to the odd Pokeball. When I showed it to her, she was amazed that such an odd shaped Pokeball would be used. "I can't imagine it holding anything, let alone being used to carry a Pokemon! Who would be so, so.cruel?" asked Allie, looking disgusted. "I don't know," I replied, "but someone was." Just then Nurse Joy came out with a sleeping Kanna in her arms. Before they reached us, I added, "But I doubt it did Kanna any good." Nurse Joy came up with a smile on her face. "Your Pokemon is perfectly fine now, but you both had better stay the night. It's almost 8:30." We both nodded. "Let me call my dad and tell him where I'll be. I just hope he doesn't come get me!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Dad, its just me. I'm calling to tell you that Nurse Joy has asked me to stay the night in the Pokemon Center." "Why? I can come pick you up." Dad got up to get his coat. No! I want to stay here! "Um, there's a group running around, some thieves. Nurse Joy says that they can stop cars with their Pokemon and steal anything." It was a lie, but he didn't know that. The truth was, of course, that they weren't any better than Kanna and me. "So, she says it'll be better if I just stay here and walk home tomorrow. Besides, once the Center closes, it only opens for emergency. Sorry, Dad." I looked behind me at Nurse Joy closing up for the night. "She's almost done now. I guess I'll have to stay the night!" I turned back to a flabbergasted Dad. "See you tomorrow! Night!" With that, I waved goodbye and hung up. Allie walked up to see me sigh. She giggled. "A little trouble with your dad?" I smiled at her. "A little? Ever since I was old enough to set off on a journey of my own, he hasn't let me out of his sight with a Pokemon." I sighed again. "It's getting old. I'm almost 15, and it's just not fair. He treats me like a 5-year-old! At least Mom knows I'm getting older." Allie nodded knowingly. "Shall we get some sleep?" "So long as its sleepover style!" "Ok!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning I set out for home. Allie asked if she could come along too, and both Kanna and I welcomed the company. I walked the bike, Kanna sat on the seat, and Allie walked beside us. "I thought Professor Elm lives in New Bark Town," Allie commented. I nodded. "He does. He's been letting me help out at his lab ever since I turned ten. He's great, and he promised he'd work Dad over for me while I was gone." I looked up as we reached the crest of the hill. At the top we could see New Bark. I sighed my ever-present sigh. "I just hope it worked." "Kan!" As we started down the hill we saw Kory. He ran up towards us and shouted to me to come over. When we met up at the foot, he said something about two thieves stealing one of the Pokemon reserved for beginning trainers. "They took a Totodile! They were about to take the other two when Elm and I came in with the Totodile's trainer. They ran off with the Pokeball, and we couldn't catch 'em!" Allie and I were shocked, and I was almost certain I knew who they were. "The Beedrill Brigade," I whispered. "C'mon, Allie! We know how to deal with them!" "No, wait!" Kory shouted after us. "They have Pokemon! A Butterfree and Beedrill for sure, and maybe more! You can't fight them, Nicole, Kanna's not old enough!" I turned around and face him. "I already have, and Allie helped. Now where were they headed to?" Kory sighed. "Your Dads gone after them. You can reach him via your PokeGear." I nodded my thanks and took off. Allie and Kanna weren't far behind. 


	6. Team Rocket Is Blasting Off Again

Chapter Six: Team Rocket Is Blasting Off Again  
  
Allie and I ran on, with Kanna pacing us. I got out my PokeGear and called Dad. "Hey, Dad! Where are you?" "Huh? Nicole? I'm too busy to talk right now!" In the background I could hear a fight going on. Allie grabbed my elbow. "Over there! I can see some electric attacks!" "That would be my Dad's Electabuzz. Lets go!" As we burst onto the scene, my dad's Electabuzz fell defeated. We saw Ellen and Vanessa, but they weren't who was fighting. Team Rocket had shown up! "Electabuzz!" "Dad! Over here!" As Dad turned around to find us, a net fell over him and his Pokemon. Team Rocket was going to kidnap them both! "No!" Kanna and I ran over, but the net was lifted off the ground. "You let him go! I'm warning you!" "Nyah, nyah! You ain't gonna catch us!" A talking Meowth?!? Allie gasped. "Wha- That Meowth just talked!" "You bet I did! And now I'm gonna take your Pokemon too!" The man in the balloon saw Kanna. "Ooo, what Pokemon do you think that one is, Jess?" "I don't know, but let's grab it!" replied the lady he was talking to. Ellen and Vanessa, who were, shall we say, under wraps at the moment, shouted together, "You can't have it! That's ours!" The lady sneered at them. "You're just a bunch of copycats! You couldn't even beat us in a battle!" "They couldn't beat US in a battle!" commented Allie. "Yeah," I laughed. Then I turned on the trio in the balloon. "You drop that net, or Kanna and I will drop you!" "Hah hah! You probably couldn't beat us, either!" Meowth shouted. "Yeah, but we can!" An older boy with a Pikachu burst out of the underbrush, followed by a red head carrying a Togepi and another guy with brown, spiky hair. The brown-haired kid spotted us and went bonkers. "Ahh! I always knew I had some guardian angels watching over me, but I never imagined they were as pretty as you two girls are!" He ran over and whipped out a book. "Numbers, ladies?" The red head had had enough, and pulled him away by the ear. "Your gonna need more than angels when I'm through with you!" "Not the ear, not the ear!" The boy with the Pikachu was all business, though. Thankfully. "Let 'em go, or you'll be blasting off into overtime!" He looked familiar. The boy! He was the dark haired boy with the GS Ball! The one that had saved the other Totodile! Ash.Ketchem! That was his name. His Pikachu looked to be a high-voltage one, too. If his Pikachu and my Kanna joined attacks. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" "Pikaa..CHU!!" But the Thunderbolt attack fell short. I knew how to fix that though! "Ash, have your Pikachu Thunderbolt along Kanna's Bubblebeam!" Kanna and Pikachu got ready. "How do you-" "Later! Let's take care of these guys first!" He nodded. "Right!" "Kanna, Bubblebeam that balloon!" Kanna let loose a torrent that frayed the rope holding up the net, and the other two kids, along with Allie, caught it. "Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" My plan worked perfectly! Pikachu's Thunderbolt was carried and amplified by Kanna's Bubblebeam. And it was enough to burst their balloon. "Ahh! Team Rocket's blasting off again!" * ping *  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When we got home, Dad put Electabuzz's Pokeball into a brand-new Restorer and healed it. When it was done, he gave me a long hard look. "Nicole," he said, "I want to apologize for holding you back for so long. You have more talent than I did when I first started out. I was just worried you wouldn't be able to handle yourself in an emergency." He looked out the window at the forest behind our house. "But you kept your head and came up with a winning combination. Bubblebeam and Thunderbolt. both are strong attacks, and used together you defeated Team Rocket." He looked at me again. His eyes held mine, and I think he saw the hope there. "I think, that if you can defeat Team Rocket, that you may have a chance at the Johto League." Dad reached up to take a book out of the bookcase to his left. He opened it to reveal a card. "Here, you'll need this." Handing it to me, he explained, "It's an expansion card for your PokeGear. A Map Card, to be exact. That way you can't get lost." "You mean. I get to go on a Pokemon Journey?" He nodded and laughed at my excitement. "Yes, you can go on a Journey. But be sure to call me often!" "I will! I promise! I'll call when I get to a city with a Gym, and tell you how my matches went!" I jumped up and hugged him. "Thanks, Dad!" Kanna saw a hug in process and wanted in. She ended up hugging my head. "Kan kan!" 


	7. Not Him Again!

Chapter Seven: Not Him Again!  
  
After a nice lunch at home (with Allie, Ash, and his friends as guests), we started on the way to Elm's lab. I had almost forgotten about Mr. Pokemon's package, but it was safe the whole time in my fanny pack. On the way over, Ash, Misty, Brock and I talked. "So, how'd you know my name?" Ash asked. "Well, I remembered it from what Elm told me. I'd asked him who had saved the Totodile, and he said that you had. Then he told about the GS Ball." I looked over at him. It had been about a year since he'd passed through, I knew that much. I was curious how far he'd gotten on his journey through Johto, but I had a very important question to ask him first. "What did Kurt say about it, anyway?" "Well, I don't know," he said. "We left it there with him after I won my Hive Badge from Bugsy. We never really heard about it after that." He looked at me questioningly. "Why did you want to know?" I brought out the odd Pokeball that Kanna had been in at first. "This is why." Kanna saw it and shied away from it. She didn't like what it had done to her, that was for sure. "Kanna was in this right before we met. It seemed like it did something to her, and she's been wary of it ever since being put in a regular Pokeball. It's strange, though," I said, looking down at Kanna, "She's a baby Suicune, or at least we think, but I once could've sworn that she spoke to me." I shook my head. "I know it sounds crazy, but legends do say that the Legendary Dogs - Entei, Suicune, and Raikou - can talk to humans. Do you think that, just maybe, as a baby version, Kanna has the same ability?" Ash and Misty smiled, and Brock nodded knowingly. "Well," said Misty, "Maybe. And maybe she will evolve into a Suicune for you, too." "I'm almost afraid of that," I said sadly. "I'm afraid that if she does, she won't want to be my Pokemon anymore. I'm also scared that if I use her in a Gym battle, then someone will want her for a collection or a zoo or something, and try to steal her." "We've already dealt with people like that, Nicole," Allie cut in. "And we know that, together, we can fight 'em off. And I don't think Kanna is going to let you fight a battle without her, anyway. So it's really already been decided." I acted hurt. "What? A decision made without consulting me? Oh, it can only end in tragedy!" Everyone laughed as we walked up the steps to the door of Elm's lab.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So this is what Mr. Pokemon was all excited about," mumbled Elm as he held the strange stone up to the light. Ash leaned over the table for a closer look. "What is it, Professor?" Misty leaned over too. "It looks almost like an Evolution stone, but I thought there were only six of them?" Elm nodded, then yelled as Pikachu tried to get closer. "Careful, there, Pikachu! We don't know what it is, let alone what it may do to Pokemon!" "Piika." Elm relaxed as Pikachu apologized. "It's ok. I just don't want you evolving on Ash here!" "Mm. Pikachu and I agreed a long time ago that Pikachu would stay Pikachu. I don't want him evolving without discussing it with me first!" He reached up to pet Pikachu, who was sitting on his hat. I looked down at Kanna. "Don't you touch it either, Kanna. I'm not sure I'm ready for a Suicune yet!" "Kanaun!" "Hey, Elm!" Kory walked into the room with his shiny Caterpie on his shoulder. It looked even bigger than last time I'd seen it, when Kanna and I fought it. "Guess what? Paul's back! He made it to Violet City, and won his badge. He came to show you his Tyrogue. He says he defeated Falkner with it alone!" Paul walked in, his Tyrogue beside him. "Yup, cause I taught to move faster than Falkner's Pokemon." Ash looked at Paul with a look of surprise. "Even faster than his Dodrio?" Paul sized Ash and his friends up, then answered, "No, he didn't use his higher level Pokemon because that wouldn't be fair. He used a low- level, and fairly pathetic, Pidgey and Pidgeotto. It was easy out doing them!" Ash glared at Paul. "I doubt they were that pathetic. I had a Pidgeotto once, and it was a great fighter." Paul laughed at Ash. "That just proves how much you know about Pokemon! The Spearow and Fearow family can easily outdo a Pidgeotto! They must be the weakest Bird type there is!" "You take that back!" Paul looked at Ash in disbelief. "Why should I? Everyone knows it's true." Brock kept Ash from strangling Paul while Allie kept me from the same objective. A thought hit me, and I stopped straining against Allie's death grip on me. "Forget him, Ash. He doesn't really care about Pokemon as individuals. He's more interested in their stats and levels. Numbers are his deal." Ash looked at me in surprise. "How could someone not care about his or her Pokemon?" he asked. "By raising some before he grew a heart!" I replied coldly. I turned to Paul, whose eyes were glued on Kanna. "And if you so much as look at her wrong, I'll have you thrown in jail! Creep," I muttered as Kanna jumped into my arms. I walked out past an astonished Paul, under the eyes of an even more astonished Ash, Brock, Misty and Allie. Elm and Kory were used to it, after having had me work in the lab with them. I stalked my way out of the lab and towards the path to Cherrygrove City. "Hey, Nicole! Wait up!" I turned to watch Allie as she ran to catch up to me. She gave me a funny look as she slowed. "What was that all about?" I sighed and let Kanna down to walk beside us. "I'll tell you on the way to Violet." And so my Johto League Challenge began. 


	8. The Road to Falkner

Hi! Me again! Yeah, its all coming so fast, but that's because I have all these already written out! Lol! Neway, just a reminder to R&R, pls, and that I don't own Pokemon. (I wish!) however, try to take Kanna away, and we'll have a talk. ok, on to the story!  
  
Chapter Eight: The Road to Falkner  
  
"So you and Paul don't get along, because he 'mistreats' his Pokemon." "He does!" I said. "He doesn't care if they get hurt, just that they do what he wants and gets stronger!" "And what's wrong with wanting them to get stronger?" Allie shouted back. "Nothing! But you can't let that get in the way of being friends with your Pokemon! If your Pokemon don't like you, then they won't trust you, and THEN they may not listen to you!" I took a deep breath. "I just think he could lighten up a little, that's all." Allie shook her head. "I'll give you that much, but you really should lighten up on him, Nicole. He's cocky, but not THAT bad!" "You haven't seen him in action," I mumbled under my breath. "What was that?" "Nothing. Look, we're here." "Here" was Violet City. We had talked the whole way about raising Pokemon, the relationship your supposed to have, and Paul's style of training. But now we were at Violet, and it was almost dark. We ran over to the corner where the Pokemon Center was situated and ran in. We were just in time, because Nurse Joy was closing up. "Oh, good evening girls! Will you be staying the night?" In unison, we replied, "Of course!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next morning, we started off through town. We were looking, of course, for the Gym. What we found instead was a scared Pokemon. "Piika!" Kanna turned towards the sound. "Kan?" I turned too. "What was that, do you think?" "I don't know," replied Allie. "Let's go find out!" We took off towards the park, where the sound was coming from. When we got there, we startled a man holding a Pikachu with rubber gloves. But this Pikachu was different, and the man had on a black Team Rocket uniform. "What do you want with that Pikachu?" asked Allie. "Just to sell it," replied the Rocket. "Well, your going to have to fight us first!" I retorted. "Pika? Pii!" The Rocket stuffed the poor Pikachu into a see-through rubber bag, so it couldn't shock him. Then he sent out a Gligar. "Glii!" "Your up, Kanna!" Kanna got ready for a brutal battle.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Kanna, use your Bubblebeam!" "Kaan!" A blast of bubbles shot out from Kanna's mouth. The Gligar responded soon enough to dodge some of them, but not all. The multiple hits it took left it wide open for an attack. "Good job, Kanna, now use a Bite! Don't hold back!" Kanna leapt into the air and landed on top of the Gligar's back. With as much strength as she could muster, she let loose a devastating Bite to the Gligar's left claw. It not only left marks, it also KO'd the Gligar. "Ha ha! Great job Kanna!" "Kanaun!" The Rocket recalled his Gligar and said, "I'm not through with you kids yet!" He sent out a Magnemite. I knew that because of its Electric type, Kanna's water attacks wouldn't do much. I turned to Allie. "Your turn." As Kanna came to sit beside me, Allie called her Furret out. I didn't know how she was going to KO it, because of its high defensive tendencies, but Allie looked confident, so I wasn't too worried. "Furret, get in there and use your Fire Punch!" My eyes widened in shock. Her Furret knew Fire Punch? That was good! In fact, that may be good enough for a one hit KO! The punch made contact easily, as the Magnemite was obviously uncharged. It was basically floating, and that seemed to be all it could do. The Fire Punch KO'd it easily. The Rocket recalled his Magnemite, and brought out his last Pokemon. It just so happened to be a Koffing. "This ones ours!" I proclaimed as Allie recalled her Furret. Kanna got ready. The Rocket grinned. "Not today! I'm getting outta here while I can! Koffing, Smokescreen!" "Koffin!" A dark cloud erupted from its mouth, covering the whole clearing. It was chokingly thick, and I didn't dare open my eyes for fear of loosing my sight all together. We couldn't do anything to stop the Rocket from getting away. But I'm not defeated so easily. I ran blindly ahead, calling to Kanna to follow. We emerged in time to see the Rocket run toward a waiting van, his getaway vehicle. "Kanna, stop him!" With amazing speed, Kanna ran up behind the Rocket and Tackled him, sending the bagged Pikachu flying. When it hit the ground, the Pikachu was conveniently let out. He looked first at me in thanks, then at the Rocket with sparks flying. "Might want to back away, Kanna," I murmured. "Kaan." Kanna obediently came back to my side as the Pikachu let everything go. The Rocket was shocked right into the van, which then took off, escaping the rest of the Thundershock. "Wow! That was amazing! Great attack, Pikachu!" The Pikachu turned to me with an embarrassed "it was nothing" look. "Pika!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
At the Pokemon Center, we asked Nurse Joy to heal our Pokemon and look after the Pikachu for us. "We'll be back," I said to the Pikachu, "but I have a badge to win first!" We had only walked about two city blocks when we heard a noise coming from behind. As Allie and I turned around, Kanna took off towards the Pokemon running behind us. Kanna and Pikachu met, and bumped heads in hello. Allie and I ran over to pet Pikachu and find out what was up. "Hi there!" I said as Pikachu found a comfy spot on my shoulder. "And just what are you up to today?" "Pika pii, Pikachu!" Pikachu nuzzled my neck as Kanna sat on the other side of my head. "Huh? I didn't quite catch that." Kanna looked me in he eyes. He wants to help you. Both Kanna and Pikachu had to grab on tight to keep from falling off. "What was that?" I exclaimed, looking around wildly for the source of the voice. "What was what?" asked a rather confused Allie. I stopped looking around quite so wildly. "I thought I heard a voice saying Pikachu wanted to help." "Pika." I looked at Pikachu in surprise. "You mean you do?" Pikachu nodded. Wow, I thought, two Pokemon who willingly became mine, and before I got my first badge! 


	9. Two’s Company, Three’s a Fight

Chapter Nine: Two's Company, Three's a Fight  
  
With a new Pokemon, Pikachu, and Kanna at my side, I had a funny feeling that I just couldn't lose. Allie and I were brainstorming nicknames for Pikachu while on the way to Falkner's Gym (we had to stop and ask for directions twice). By the time we'd reached the building, Pikachu's new name was Spike, for the unusual markings on his ears. Instead of tapering down to the side like normal, his ears black markings came down to a point in the middle of his ears, front and back. So Spike, Kanna, and myself entered the building to challenge Falkner.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What do you mean he's sick?" The receptionist shook her head. "I'm sorry. Falkner's down with the flu, and he hasn't asked any of his trainees to take over in his place." "Well, can't you call him and ask him? Please? I just gotta get my badge!" I used my infamous "Vulpix Eyes" on the receptionist, and could see her waiver. After another minute of begging and cuteness (yuck!), she gave in. "Well, ok, I'll call him." She picked up the phone and dialed Falkner's number. While she was on the phone with him, Allie and I got a snack from the local vending machine. She wasn't done when we were, so we sat down to wait. And who should walk in he door but Ash and company! "Hi, Ash, Misty, Brock!" I jumped up to greet them. "How's it going?" "Just fine! Have you gotten your first badge yet?" "Not yet, Falkner's sick. But I did get a new Pokemon. A Pikachu, who I named Spike," I called to the yellow and black bundle, "Come meet a friend of mine, Ash Ketchem." Spike's ears pricked up as he turned around. Ash's Pikachu and he met like they were old friends, shaking tails. Ash, Misty and Brock looked shocked at the sight. "What?" I asked, confused. "Have you met before?" "Yeah, we have!" Ash smiled and picked Spike up. Then he looked at me. "You've got a good friend here, Nicole. Take great care of him!" I nodded. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?" The receptionist got our attention, mainly by Brock's serenading. As Misty pulled him away from the receptionist, she recovered and told us, "Falkner's agreed to let you fight for a badge. You'll fight one of his top students, Jori." "Fine with me!" I said excitedly. "Kanaun!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jori was a scrawny little thing, but looked very confident. I wasn't too worried, not with Kanna and Spike to back me up! Then I found out something awful. "Three on three match, no time limit!" called Jori from his end of the field. Wait a minute! "Um, I don't HAVE three Pokemon," I said a little unsure of what to do. Jori laughed. "You mean you have a Pikachu and a, uh, what is it, anyway?" He shook his head before I could answer. "Never mind, it's obviously a Water type, but that's ALL you have?" He looked at me, then a look of realization dawned on him. "Your serious, aren't you?" Ash stepped forward. He had asked on behalf of everyone if they could watch my first Gym match, and I eagerly said yes. I thought that maybe, just maybe, my Dad would let me call him every other day if Ash thought I was doing fine. Then I could call Dad after the match and have Ash vouch for me. "Nicole, why didn't you catch another Pokemon along the way? There are plenty of Rattata and Pidgey out there." "I don't know, I was sure it wouldn't matter. Kanna counts as two Pokemon to me, and Spike's got plenty of power. I know I can beat him, even without a third Pokemon!" Ash shook his head. "Nicole, you have to have at least three Pokemon to battle a gym in Johto. It's different in Kanto, you only need one, but." He trailed off as I fingered my Pokeball. I think, after being a Pokemon trainer for three and a half years, he knew what was going through my mind. "Fine. If I need three Pokemon to battle, I'll get a third." I looked up at Jori. "Can you wait a few days?" He shook his head. "I can only wait two days, because my father's birthday is coming up. He lives in Goldenrod, so I need to get home before Saturday." It was Wednesday today! That gave me only two and a half days to find, catch and train a new Pokemon. I was sure I wouldn't need it, but I was also used to preparing as best I could. "I think I can make that deadline," I said quietly, and walked to the elevator to go to the ground floor. Allie followed close after, and Ash, Misty and Brock came after her. I had to do it. My first badge was on the line.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
As I left the gym, Allie, Ash and co. caught up to me. "Nicole! Wait up!" Allie came jogging up and fell into step beside me. "You can use my Furret if you'd like," Allie offered, holding out the Pokeball. "No," I replied, pushing her hand away. "Thanks, but no." "Why not?" Ash asked, also beside me. "Because it has to be mine. A Furret with Fire Punch is really cheating if its not mine." I looked up to see a building. People were walking around, holding Pokeballs. They were strange, though, and had the form of Bellsprout on them. "What in the.?" I murmured. I walked over to a man holding a ball and asked, "What's with the odd Pokeballs?" The man turned around and replied, "It's a Bellsprout competition. You're given a Bellsprout and have to fight other trainers with their supplied Bellsprout. The winner gets a Leaf Stone, 2nd place a Miracle Seed, and 3rd a Gold Berry. The top five get to keep their Bellsprouts, too." "Hmm. They get to keep their Bellsprout." I was thinking hard. If I won, that'd be a third Pokemon.and it'd go up at least two levels during the competition. And with some hard work and single-minded training, it should be able to hold its own, even against a Flying type. "I'm going to sign up!" I declared.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ash, Allie and I signed up. We each got a Bellsprout to use, and the starting ceremonies began. I was up in the 3rd fight, so I took the time to get to know my Bellsprout. Kanna and Spike came close as the Bellsprout popped out. It looked around and then looked at me expectantly. I smiled. "Hiya! I'm Nicole, and this is Kanna and Spike. If we win this, you'll become part of the team." "Bell?" It seemed to like that idea. So the four of us decided to go scope out the competition. Ash was in the second match, so we watched him. His Bellsprout was very accurate with its Vine Whips, and Growth helped tremendously. Every Bellsprout started out at level ten, so no one had the advantage. But I knew almost instinctively that he would be hard to beat. I also knew I wasn't going to give up. Then it was our turn. Kanna and Spike stayed with Allie, Misty and Brock, while Bello (the nickname I had decided on for Bellsprout) and I went to the field. I heard a loud noise from behind me somewhere, and looked behind to find Paul sitting on the bench provided for competitors. "You actually entered!? HAH! You'll never win this one, cause I am!" I stuck my tongue out at him and turned back to the fight. "Both competitors are ready!" called the Ref. "Begin!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!" The other Bellsprout approached mine and sent out a vine. "Counter it and Growth!" I called. Bello did just that, and seemed to go into a trace like state. The Bellsprout Vine Whipped again, and Bello didn't respond. "Nicole! As long as your Bellsprout is using Growth, it can't attack! You have to tell it to, or it'll just stand there!" This bit came from Ash, who got a glare from Paul in return, but my thanks as well. I turned to Bello. "You heard him! Attack with your Vine Whip!" Bello came out of the trance to KO the Bellsprout with one hit. We'd won! The rest of the matches went on like that, and Bello grew to level twelve and learned Wrap. This was good, because we could now Wrap and Growth at the same time. This I knew, but I never used it, because that combo was my secret weapon against Ash. I doubted I'd need to use it before then. But I had forgotten about Paul. After his first match, I watched him closely. It turned out that Ash knocked him out of the running while he was in round five. He placed a solid seventh place, making sure he couldn't keep the Bellsprout given to him. It served him right. Allie's Bellsprout got KO'd in round six by a young trainer from Violet. I was fairly sure he'd raised a Bellsprout before. Ash went up against his final and won, assuring him of his Bellsprout and the finals. It was up to me to get there.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was actually easy to defeat the Bellsprout trainer. I'd asked him if my hunch was right, and he said, yes, he was going to be a Bellsprout Breeder if he got lucky. So he participated in the competition every other month, when it was on, to collect as many Bellsprout as he could. Then we fought, but Bello was a level higher, and all those Growths seemed to have pumped up his Special Attacks permanently. I got a glimpse of Ash's face after my match, and he looked determined, and maybe even a little concerned. I knew that neither of us would give up or give in, but one of ours Bellsprouts would have to give out, sooner or later. And I had my secret weapon just waiting to be used. The referees checked our Pokemon to be sure that they were the same level, which they were. Level fifteen, and both could use Sleep Powder now. But I was almost sure I wouldn't need it. With a combo like Wrap and Growth, I knew Bello and I could take home the prize! (Well, maybe not all the way to home, but you get the meaning.) Ash and I faced each other as the match began. His Bellsprout looked tough and so did the expression on Ash's face, but I knew, somehow I KNEW, deep down inside, that Bello and I were tougher. "Begin!" "Ok, you know what to do! Vine Whip!" Ash sent his Bellsprout out with a barrage of vicious Vine Whips, but Bello dodged them. I knew that Ash would do that, because he had basically ignored Wrap the whole time. But Bello knew my strategy, had in fact given it his ok, and dodged them all without a word from me. This would go well, indeed. "Wrap attack!" Ash was caught by surprise, and so was his Bellsprout. "Look out!" But it was too late. Bello had a death grip on Ash's Bellsprout, and wasn't about to let go. He wanted to win this as much as I did. "Great job, Bello! Now use Growth, just like we planned!" "You planned this?" Ash asked in surprise. "Yup. I even guessed that you would start off with a Vine Whip, and I was right." I glanced up at Ash and into his eyes. I saw only determination there, and immediately remembered whom I was fighting. This guy had defeated Falkner in a come-from-behind win, and found a winning strategy against Whitney's Miltank. He was used to losing until the last second, and knew what to do in situations like this. I had to be very careful. Bello seemed to be as pumped up as he ever would be, so I decided to end Growth while he still had a hold on Bellsprout. "Enough! Send it spinning, Bello!" Bello immediately whipped its vines from around Bellsprout and it went spinning out of control. In its momentary confusion, it paused. That was its undoing. "Vine Whip!" Bello released two massive vines at the Bellsprout and caught it across the side. The Bellsprout went tumbling toward Ash, and was KO'd by the time it'd stopped. We had won! ~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Wow! Great job, Nicole!" "That was awesome, great strategy!" "That was superb! Can I fight you with my Hoppip?" "Intense fight!" When I left the field to join the other trainers, this was what I was greeted with. Everyone wanted to shake my hand, or pat me on the back, or battle Bello with one of their Pokemon. It was kind of embarrassing. Ash saw this, and saved me in a show of good sportsmanship. I thanked him as we left the crowd behind and joined the others. "Hey! Wait up!" I turned to see the Bellsprout trainer come up behind me. "Hi, what's up?" He stopped in front of me. "Nicole, I know you'll probably say no, but could I trade for your Bellsprout? It's the toughest I've ever seen, and besides Ash's the biggest!" I looked at Ash. "Well. Let's see what Bello thinks." I brought out Bello to ask him. He was flattered, to say the least, so we decided to check it out. Behind the Bellsprout trainer's, who we found out to be Jerry, house was a large Bellsprout sanctuary, and about 20 other Bellsprout to top it off. As we arrived, a sea of Bellsprout, whom Bello became buds with immediately, greeted us. As we talked about Jerry's ambition to be a Bellsprout Breeder, Bello got to look around. When it was time to leave, Bello had made up his mind. "Ok, I guess we're trading!" Jerry's face broke into a wide grin. "Great! I'll trade you my Bulbasaur. He used to be my brother's, but when he decided to join the military, he had to leave his Bulbasaur here." I nodded. "My grandpa used to be in the army. He almost got to be a Seal, but then his wife died and he decided to come home and take care of my mom and her sisters instead." I walked up to the machine that would exchange the Pokemon. "Um, does the Bulbasaur have a nickname?" Jerry shook his head. "Nope, my brother never named it, so it's all yours." I smiled as the images on the screen switched places. My Dad had started with a Bulbasaur, and now I would get one too!  
  
Wow, a long one! Sry, I must have gotten carried away. oh well. This is like five pages long on word! The next one should be shorter tho, no worries! 


	10. A Name for Bulbasaur

Chapter Ten: A Name for Bulbasaur  
  
I had my third Pokemon and a whole day to train it. As I woke up in my bunk at the Pokemon Center, Allie appeared right in front of my face and said, "GET UP, SLEE - oh, you are up! Sorry!" She went off giggling to find breakfast and I attempted to recover from my near-heart attack. Ash and Brock, in the bunk beside mine, had been awakened by Allie's failed wake up call. Misty was already up. "Who, what, where, when?" Brock bolted up as Allie left, and Ash groggily replied, "Don't worry, Brock, it was just Allie." "Well, at least it worked for someone!" I grumbled. I got out of bed and dressed in the bathroom. By the time I was ready for breakfast, I was more awake, though not much more pleasant. That changed when Kanna and Spike gave me my plate of food. Kanna carried it on her back, and Spike held it on. Misty and Allie had thought it up, knowing I wouldn't like being woken up quite so early, and it worked to put me in better spirits. "Why'd you wake me up - or tried to, that is - so early?" I asked Allie. She looked at me like as if I had forgotten a wedding date. "You have to train extra hard so your new Bulbasaur will be ready for the gym match, remember?" I shot straight up in my seat, and began to eat as quickly as I could without choking. Ash and Brock came in right as I finished my plate. "Gee, Mist, and you say I eat quick!" "Well, I have to! I need to get training, I've already lost 20 minutes," I replied as I deposited my plate in the sink. Ash looked up, a smile on his face. "Hey, when I'm done, can Bulbasaur and I join you?" I nodded. "Sure, why not?" I left, Bulbasaur's Pokeball in hand. I gotta get him a name! I thought to myself.  
  
~*~*~*~*~ Bulbasaur and I were outside in the park working on Vine Whip. He was almost to level 15 and learning both Poisonpowder and Sleep Powder. Those moves would come in handy against Jori's Flying types. Ash came up the hill, his Bulbasaur hot on his heels. From the sheer size of it, it must have been very advanced in both level and training. Ash's Bulbasaur looked confident as well, almost as confident as Ash himself. You have to be good to be confident, but not overconfident. "Hey, how's it coming?" Ash called as the pair made their way up the hill. "Fine, he's almost to level 15! And he can easily KO a Rattata." Ash came to stop beside me and knelt down to tickle my Bulbasaur's chin. "He looks a bit bigger." Ash looked up at me quizzically. "Have you fought any Flying types yet?" I shook my head no. "We haven't even run into any yet! How are we supposed to train for a battle against birds if they all hide from me?" Ash laughed. "I don't think they're hiding from you. You just aren't looking in the right place. Kanna knows Headbutt, right?" "Yeah, why?" "Well, have her Headbutt a tree and see what falls out." I gave Ash a look, but turned to try and find Kanna. She and Spike had decided to race each other for a bit, but now they were resting near a tree. "Hey, Kanna!" Kanna's head rose, and I heard a faint "Kan?" "Could you Headbutt a tree for me?" I asked. Kanna gave me the same look I had given Ash, but did as I asked. She got up and looked around. Finding a tree she liked the looks of, she ran at it head first and right into the trunk. I was worried she'd hurt herself, but she started shaking the tree. What should fall out but a sleeping Hoothoot! "Alright! Ok, Bulbasaur, are you ready?" "Bulba!" We ran over to Kanna and the Hoothoot as it recovered from its rather rude awakening. After a Tackle and a Leech Seed, it was finished with us and flew away. We'd won our battle against the first bird of the day! The win was also enough to put Bulbasaur up a level, and now he knew the two power moves. The only problem was, I still didn't have a good enough name for him! "Great job! I think we're almost ready to take on Jori!" I started petting Bulbasaur, and got lost in deep thought about his name. It had to fit his personality and species, but. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ash kneeled beside Bulbasaur and me. "Oh, I just can't think of a good name for Bulbasaur. It's driving me crazy, because I want him to have one by tomorrow." Ash shrugged. "Why not just call him Bulbasaur? I never named any of my Pokemon. Most people only name their favorites, anyway." "Well, yeah, but that would put Kanna and Spike over Bulbasaur as being my favorites, and that's not true. Kanna may be my favorite, but that's because of how we met. It was a once in a lifetime thing, and that's pretty special, you know? But Spike and Bulbasaur both come right after Kanna and I want them to know that. So I'm going to give them both names." Ash nodded. He seemed to understand what I meant, but not necessarily agree with it. "I understand. Either you name them all, or none, in order to be fair. Well, I'm not very good with names, but I'll try to help you out." "Thanks, Ash," I smiled at him. "There's one resource I want to try first, though."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, how about Bubba?" "Mom! That's to, to. country! I don't want my Bulbasaur to think he's a red-neck!" My mom laughed. "Ok, then, how about, um, Lightheart?" I sighed. My mom just didn't get it. Of course, she never did. There was one point in time when she wanted to name one of our newborn Elekids Plorex. Dad wouldn't hear of it, and never even let her see its paperwork while he was naming it. We ended up calling him Sparks. "Mom, a REAL name!" "Those are real names!" Mom said, acting hurt. "Why won't you believe me?" "Because their terrible!" She sighed. "Alright, alright! How about Sprout? Is that more your style?" "Yeah. Ok, thanks Mom!" As I hung up the VidPhone, Allie walked over to me with lunch. We decided to eat in the park, so we asked Nurse Joy if we could borrow a spread and a basket, and we went for a picnic. My Pokemon were healed, so they tagged along too. Even though Kanna and Spike hadn't fought, I still wanted them in tiptop shape. If we were lucky, we'd get a battle after lunch! Allie helped me lay out the spread, and we set up the food while Kanna, Spike and Sprout played. "Do you have a name for him yet?" I smiled. "Yeah, Mom was serious for a second or two and came up with Sprout. It fits him, too, 'cause he's just starting to gain momentum. He'll be great with some time and practice." "Hmm. Sprout, I like it! It does fit him. Hey, guys and gal! Time to eat!" Allie called to the three romping Pokemon, and they came running. "Can Furret join us too?" "Of course he can!" I laughed. "Why couldn't he?" Allie shrugged. "Just checking." She threw her Pokeball and out popped Furret. We had a great meal, and just sat around watching our Pokemon playing after that. Too bad a big mouth interrupted it. 


	11. Rivalry Revived

Chapter Eleven: Rivalry Revived  
  
"Hey, You there! What are you doing lying around? Ha, I bet you don't even have a badge yet, huh?" That voice was unmistakable. I knew it from the first word it shouted at me, and I didn't like it. Not one bit. "Go away, Paul, before I sic my Pokemon on you." Paul looked over at the four Pokemon playing around a tree. "Hey, you have four Pokemon? Where'd you get a Furret?" Allie sat up and shot Paul an annoyed glance. "That Furret is mine, pea-brain, and I got it from my cousin Whitney." "Yeah, whatever." Paul looked back over at the Pokemon, who had stopped playing to watch us. "Hmm. You still have three Pokemon, though, so. Wanna battle?" I almost had a hernia laughing, because something was just hilarious about that statement. Probably because I knew it was coming, but I couldn't help but remember a fight we'd once had about what training style was better, mine or his. So our parents, in an attempt to keep us from killing each other, gave us each a baby level five Pidgey. We raised them for a week, but were forbidden to fight each other. At the end of a week, our Pokemon were still the same level, so we battled them. Needless to say, my Pidgey and I won the battle. "Are you sure you want to try?" I looked up at Paul and almost died laughing again. I bit it back. "I mean, c'mon, Paul, after that little bout with the Pidgeys? And even after that, you want a battle?" "Yeah! A three - on - three battle! And that battle was rigged! Your Dad made sure you won it, and I know it!" I jumped to my feet. Dad and I may not agree on much, but no one could put him down but me! "You take that back!" Paul smiled. "If you win, I will. But you won't win, so I will have to take my own prize." "And what, per se, is that?" "I want your full apology for how you treated me back at the lab!" When I turned red and was about to say no way, he added, "That, or your Kanaun." "Fine," I growled. "Kanna! Spike! Sprout! Come here, we have a battle to win!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was decided, a three - on - three match, no time limit, being refereed by Allie. We also agreed to play our Pokemon in the order that we caught them, from the newest to the oldest. So Sprout was first out. "You ready, Sprout?" "Bulba!" "Then lets do it!" Paul sent out a Spearow. It looked to be about level ten, not that old either. We should have no major problems with this thing. "Ready!" Allie called, both hands in the air. Paul and I nodded, and she dropped her arms. "Begin!" "Alright, Sprout, start with a Tackle!" "Counter with a Peck! Hey, you gave that thing a name? Names are for wusses!" I smiled. "Not in my mind! They build trust and character in a Pokemon, so all of mine will have names! Now, Poisonpowder!" Spearow had dodged Tackle, and Sprout had dodged Peck, so we were still even. Poisonpowder would change that in our favor. Sprout readied himself for a Poisonpowder while Paul called out to Spearow to dodge it. But Sprout let out such a large cloud of dust so fast, Spearow had no time to move. "Great! Now Tackle it again!" Sprout gained momentum as the dust died down and rammed into Spearow at full force. The hit sent Spearow flying right into Paul, who yelled at it to get up. But it was too weak from the poison, so he was forced to recall it when it didn't get up. "That's one point for me!" I called to Paul as he fished out his next Pokemon. Sprout came running up to me, but he looked tired. "Go ahead and take a good rest, you deserve it! Great job, Sprout!" "Bulbasaur!" I looked up to see a Pineco appear. It looked fresh, but so did Spike. I looked down at him. "Are you ready?" "Pika!" Spike ran out onto the battlefield, once a peaceful park, ready for battle. "Begin!" "Spike, start off with a Quick Attack!" "Use Tackle!" Spike hit Pineco first with a heavy Quick Attack, but it came right back into the fight with a good solid Tackle. I knew Spike would be hard pressed to dodge it, as it was fairly fast. I had to end it as fast as I could. "Thundershock!" Spike charged up for a Thundershock as Paul tried to think of something to counter it with. "Um, Protect!" Spike let lose the biggest Thundershock I'd seen, as Pineco tried to Protect itself. The Thundershock was enough to make Pineco unstable, and try as Paul might, he couldn't keep Pineco from Selfdestructing. "Yes! That's another win! One more, and it'll be a shut-out!" "Pika!" Spike ran towards me and leapt into my arms. "Great job, Spike! That Thundershock was your biggest yet!" "Pika pika! Pikachu!" Spike replied modestly. "Kanaun!" Kanna jumped onto my shoulder and joined in the celebration. "If you could, will you bring out your precious Kanaun and fight us?" I glared at Paul, but did want to finish the fight. "Fine! Ok, Kanna, let's go!" "Aun." Kanna jumped down and prepared herself as Paul's Tyrogue appeared. It was actually fairly large, and looked almost ready to evolve. Darn, it's at least level eighteen! I knew, though, that no matter how tough it was, Kanna was tougher. With Bubblebeam, Headbutt and Bite on our side, we could win it! "Kanna, start off with a Bite!" Kanna leapt into action, letting lose with energy that she only had in battle, and clamped down hard on Tyrogue's left arm. It didn't even flinch! Paul laughed at me. "Tyrogue is a Fighting type, and Bite is a Dark move! Fighting is resistant to Dark! Duh!" He looked at Tyrogue, who was trying to shake it off. "Get rid of it and Tackle!" Tyrogue shook harder and sent Kanna flying. It readied itself, then tore towards my fallen Pokemon. "Kanna, get up!" I screamed. Kanna shook her head and looked up to see the Tyrogue five feet away and closing. With a yelp and speed I thought only Spike had, she got out of the way just in time. As she landed and turned around, Tyrogue flipped a U- turn and came again. Kanna dodged a second time, and by then I'd thought of something. "Knock it off balance with a Water Gun!" A torrent of water came from Kanna's mouth and worked to knock Tyrogue off its feet. It was wet and sore looking when it turned around and used its only attack again. "Alright! Give it a Bubblebeam right between the eyes!" Kanna's attack sent Tyrogue staggering back, and it fell, knocked out, at Paul's feet. Allie raised her hand, then pointed at me. "The match goes to Nicole and Kanaun!" We had won again!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Well, Paul?" Paul looked up at me. He'd been staring at his Tyrogue as I walked over to receive my prize. He looked. defeated. "Well, what?" I gave him a look. "I won, so you need to take back what you said about my dad." Now, I don't like the guy, but I'm not heartless, either. I knew his loosing had hit him hard, so I was going to apologize for how I treated him at the lab, anyway. But he had to hold up his end of the deal. "Fine. Your dad didn't rig it. But I still say someone did!" Paul grabbed Tyrogue's Pokeball and recalled him. He was about to go when I put my two cents in. "Fine, you can think that all you want. I don't care, so long as you agree that my parents didn't rig it. Maybe Elm or Kory did, but my parents would rather I loose then build fake confidence. Oh, and, uh, I kinda owe you an apology." I was looking everywhere but at Paul. This was necessary, but not easy. "What? Nicole, you won. You don't have to apologize, because you won. The agreement was I -" "I know what the agreement was, Paul Somme! That doesn't mean I don't owe you an apology!" "Uh." "Now look. We don't get along, right?" "Right." That much Paul knew how to deal with. "However, we still owe each other respect, no matter how mean or wussy we think the other is. Right?' "Uh, sure." I nodded. "So I didn't treat you with respect back at the lab. And I'm sorry, although I do still think you could lighten up. Pokemon can only do so much, you know!" "Yeah, so? That doesn't mean I can't push them harder!" "No! You just don't get it!" I shook my head. "You're a trainer, you're supposed to push them! But they need a break every once in a while! You have to get to know your Pokemon so you can tell when they are about ready to break! Now do you see?" "No." I gave up, right then and there. The kid was hopeless! "However." Paul continued, " I do think I know what you're going at." He gave me a funny look. "Do you really think that all I do is push and put down my Pokemon?" "Sure seemed like it to me! And after how you dissed on the Pidgey family so bad, I wouldn't be surprised." Paul shook his head. "No, I don't do that, sorry to ruin your view of me. But I do push them a lot. I have to! After that battle, we have some training to do!" He turned to go, but then thought of something. "You're going in for your Gym badge tomorrow, right?" I looked up in surprise. "Yeah, I'm going up against Jori, Falkner's top trainee." Paul nodded. "Be careful! He has a Spearow, about level 15 last time we talked, and a Delibird." I snorted. "The Spearow might be a problem, but I'll just put Spike up against it. As for the Delibird, they only learn one move on their own. So long as we can dodge it, it won't be a problem." "Don't get cocky, Nicole!" Paul surprised me, so I listened. "The Spearow is the least of your worries! That Delibird knows much more than just Present! Jori taught it Blizzard and Fly too! Oh, and his last Pokemon is a Noctowl, level 20. I would say leave Spike for that one. I'll let you decide on that, though." He turned again. "Just a few tips." "Wait! Why are you telling me this? An hour ago, you would have told me Jori was a piece of cake!" Paul turned and smiled. "Well, yeah, but an hour ago I hadn't lost to you! If Jori beats you, and finds out you beat me, I'll never hear the end of it!" Paul left, and Allie and I had some planning to do. But I was sure I knew how to beat Jori. 


	12. The Battle Is On!

Chapter 12: The Battle Is On!  
  
"WAKE UP SLEEPY HEA-"  
  
This time I was ready. I whapped Allie with my pillow, which sent her flying backward, much to my delight. Unfortunately, she failed to catch herself, and ended up slamming into Brock who was still sound asleep. He woke up rather rudely, and quickly, and hit his head on the bottom of Ash's bunk. This in turn made Ash jump, and he lost his balance and landed on he floor of the room. Pikachu managed to stay in the bunk, and looked down anxiously at his trainer. When Ash moved, Pikachu's worries were proven wrong, and now he sighed at his less then graceful friend. Through all this, I managed to wake up. After making sure everyone was all right, I got dressed and went out to breakfast. Misty looked up as I walked into the dining hall. "What was all that noise, Nicole?" I giggled. "That, Misty, was Allie's failed attempt to wake me up. It kind of backfired on her." I filled her in on the whole thing, and was just finishing up as Allie joined us. She thought it was funny, but Ash and Brock were still sore when they managed to drag themselves out. We all agreed that the "rude awakenings" had to stop. Allie was the one who suggested it, believe it or not. "So," Ash started, "today you have your gym match." I nodded. "Yup, and if what Paul told me is true, I know what I'm going to do." Brock asked, "Well?" I put down my fork. "Paul said Jori has a Spearow, a Delibird, and a Noctowl. So, I'm going to put Sprout against the Spearow, Kanna against the Delibird, and Spike against the Noctowl." Everyone nodded, but Ash seemed puzzled. "Why are you pitting Sprout against the Spearow?" "Well, Paul said they were about the same level, so there's no problems there, and besides, I'm not going to make Sprout fight that Delibird! Not only will Fly one hit KO him, but with Ice Beam on it there's no way Sprout could handle it. Kanna, however, can attack the Ice part of Delibird, and hopefully make it obsolete." Misty spoke up. "You better hurry, Nicole, because Jori said he was leaving around two in the afternoon. It's almost eleven o'clock now!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
We arrived at the Violet City Gym around noon, and the receptionist said Jori was waiting at the battlefield on the top of the gym. I took the time in the elevator to brief my Pokemon on the plan for the battle. They all agreed. At the top, I came out onto the now familiar battlefield. Jori was grooming the Hoothoot of a young kid, about ten years old, who I assumed was a trainer under Falkner's guidance. Jori looked up as we stepped out of the elevator, said something to the kid, and shooed him away. "So, you finally made it, huh? Good, I was starting to worry I would have to leave before you showed up!" "I'm ready when you are, Jori, and I want that badge! Shall we get started?" Jori smiled. "Sure, when ever you want!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Jori started with his Spearow, so I sent out Sprout. The Spearow didn't seem to be much over level 15, so I wasn't too worried. Sprout had gone up a level in our fight against Paul, so I wasn't worried about a level disadvantage. They seemed to both be the same level. The ref at the side of the field checked that we were ready. "Both trainers are ready! Begin!" Ok, Sprout, lead off with a Leech Seed!" "Dodge it, Spearow, quick!" The Spearow dodged, so I had Sprout send out another barrage of Leech Seeds, which the Spearow dodged again. "Great job, Spearow, now use your Fury Attack!" "Dodge it, Sprout!" Sprout tried his best dodging, but the Spearow was just too fast. I knew that we had to go on the offence, so. "Sprout, Leech Seed!" That caught Spearow and trainer by surprise. The Spearow tried to dodge, but Sprout got it at point blank range. It didn't have a chance. "Good job! Finish it! Vine Whip!" Sprout let out a massive Vine Whip, and between the Leach Seed's effects and the Vine Whip's power, the Spearow gave up. "Bulbasaur is the winner!" the ref declared. "Good job, Spearow! Return," Jori recalled his Spearow. "That means it's Delibird's turn!" Delibird materialized as Kanna stepped up. She looked ready. I had a feeling she wasn't going to let a little Bulbasaur show her up. "Well, well! The little trainer does know about type advantages! Good matching." I gave Jori a dark look. "Considering my dad placed third at the Indigo Plateau, I had better have picked that much up from him! If I didn't know my types, both he and Professor Elm would disown me!" "Professor Elm, huh? Well, dropping big names like that won't win a fight! Let's get started and see who's better!" "Go Kanna! Bite!" "Quick Attack, Delibird! Delibird managed to get the Quick Attack off, but Kanna also managed to recover in time to get a death grip on Delibird's tail. "Ack! Get it off you, Delibird! Fly!" The Delibird took off, Kanna still firmly attached to it's tail. Try as it might, Delibird couldn't shake my Kanna. "Great job! Jump." They were getting closer to the ground as Delibird tried desperately to shake Kanna off. They were only ten feet from the ground now. five feet. "Now!" Kanna let go and landed on her feet facing me. Delibird shot up, suddenly free of its burden. Kanna turned to face it as it came down towards her, trying to complete its Fly attack. "Bubblebeam!" Kanna let loose a Bubblebeam, which caught the Delibird square in the face. It fell, defeated. "Yes!" Kanna leapt into my arms, and together we celebrated. Jori chuckled. "Well, cute though it is, it is tough. What did you say it was?" "Well, I didn't say, but she's a Kanaun. The only one we know about." Jori nodded. "She's a good fighter. However, this battle isn't over yet!" Jori brought out his last Pokemon's Pokeball. "Shall we?" I grinned. "Yes, let's." "Go, Noctowl!" "You're turn, Spike!" Noctowl appeared and Spike ran onto the battlefield. "Using a Pikachu, eh? That's not playing fair!" "Well, I've use up all my other Pokemon, so." "Oh, I'm not saying it's not allowed, I'm just saying it's not fair!" I grinned as our Pokemon sized each other up. The Noctowl was about level 20, and Spike was around 18 or 19, so it was a fairly fair fight. Except for the electricity. "Ok, let's go! Spike, Quick Attack!" "Counter a Quick Attack of your own!" They came together quick, and with their attacks combined neither one faired well. Spike managed to land on is feet, though, so I wasn't too worried. "Ok, Thundershock!" "Dodge it, quick!" Noctowl went into evasive maneuvers, but Spike was attacking with all of his concentration. Spike has longer ears then most Pikachu's, so he can hear better, I think. He aimed his Thundershock attack right at Noctowl, and KO'd it with one hit. "WE WON!" I shouted, along with the calls of my Pokemon. Ash, Misty, Brock and Allie ran over to congratulate me. Jori was shocked. I guess his Noctowl was good, and that Delibird had a few surprises. He recalled his Noctowl, then came over. "Well, you did it. I don't know how, but you did it. Good job! Here, on behalf of Falkner and the Violet City Gym, here's your Zephyr Badge!" I held it up in the sunlight. "Yes! My first badge! I'm on my way, guys!" "Kanaun!" Kanna put in from the top of my head. That seemed to be her favorite place anymore.  
  
That's it for now. I may work on a new chapter, I may not. R&R, of course, and tell me what u think. Thanks! 


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